Impactos da COVID-19 na saúde mental de discentes de cursos de pós-graduação stricto sensu da área da saúde do estado de Mato Grosso

Abstract

Social isolation associated with changes in routines and activities of daily living, favored an increase in the incidence of mental disorders among graduate students, directly related to the increase in workloads and demands experienced by them in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. 19. Objective: To evaluate the mental health of students of stricto sensu postgraduate courses in the health area of Mato Grosso in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology: This is a descriptive, cross-sectional and quantitative study, carried out in the State of Mato Grosso remotely through digital resources, with stricto sensu postgraduate courses in the health area. The population of this research was composed of students of stricto sensu postgraduate courses in the health area belonging to the State of Mato Grosso, whose sample size was 137 students. Data were collected through a semi-structured online form, between September and November 2021, with a Sociodemographic, Health and Work Conditions questionnaire for stricto sensu Postgraduate Students and for the analysis of mental health, the Cross-sectional Scale was applied Self-reported DSM-5 Level 1 Symptom Test – Adult and Brunel Mood Scale (BRUMS). In Manuscript 1, variables with p values less than 0.20 were tested in the Poisson multiple regression model with robust variance in the bivariate analysis between dependent and independent variables. In Manuscript 2, data analysis was performed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). Univariate differences between means were verified using Tukey's test, with a significance level of 0.05. This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee and the participants consented to the free and informed consent form. Results: In the bivariate analysis, an association was observed between depression and not having a partner (PRb=1.30), as well as low monthly income (RPb=1.44), attending a master's and professional doctorate (RPb=1. 53) and having an employment relationship parallel to the graduate course (RPb=0.76). Regarding mental health, the following factors were associated with depression: anger, mania, anxiety, somatic symptoms, suicidal ideation, sleep disturbance, memory, repetitive thinking, dissociation, personality functioning and substance use (p<0.05). In the multiple analysis, it was found that mania, anxiety and dissociation remained statistically associated with depression (p<0.05). Regarding the students' mood state, multivariate statistical significance was observed, considering a significance level lower than p < 0.05 between the sociodemographic variables and mood states, as well as, in the univariate analysis of the comparison of the means of the variables dependent by sex, only showed statistical significance between the averages for the vigor variable. Conclusions: The COVDI-19 pandemic had significant impacts on the mental health of graduate students in the health field. Thus, the results show the psychological weaknesses experienced by them, given the social and professional context experienced in the pandemic period, which makes it essential to promote mental well-being and quality of life among these students.